


Social Commitments

by RubyCaspar



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Alternate Scene, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e01 Death Defying Feats, F/M, First Time, Phrack Fucking Friday, pff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 10:51:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15556110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyCaspar/pseuds/RubyCaspar
Summary: Alternate scene in the theatre during Death Defying Feats (3x01)





	Social Commitments

**Author's Note:**

> As always I've taken an attempt at a PWP and turned it into 3,000 words of TMP (too much plot)... anyway, in this AU Phryne is a little more perceptive early on in the episode, and turns it to her advantage...

Jack watched Collins and Dot scurry away, and felt a momentary flash of guilt, but Dot’s remark about Miss Fisher’s ‘gentleman houseguest’ had put his already-high back up. So the man - whoever he was - was settling in for a long stay. And meanwhile, Phryne was off flirting with props supervisors and all the while expecting Jack to… what? 

 

He heard the clack of her heels and turned to face her. “Well, are you done fraternising?” He quipped, unable to stop himself. 

 

“Don’t be like that,” she said, stepping closer and reaching for his collar. “That really is rather a nice tie.”

 

Jack thought about stepping back, or pushing her hands away, but both actions would scream of churlishness and Phryne would know exactly why he was suddenly reluctant to have her in his personal space. She would zero in on him the same way she’d zeroed in on his new tie. 

 

So he forced himself to stay still and silent, locking his jaw to keep from saying anything. 

 

“So, would you like to take another look at the body with me?” She asked him. 

 

“Is that an invitation?” He said, an edge of sarcasm to his voice. 

 

Phryne just looked up at him from under her lashes. “Well I could wait all day for yours.”

 

Jack’s usually quick wit failed him, the traitor, and he was left with nothing to do but stand there, inches away from her, staring into her smirking eyes. Perhaps he was overreacting. Of course she was flirting with the props master, that’s how she operated. And he didn’t really know anything about this houseguest of hers, he should probably give her the benefit of the doubt...

 

“Miss Fisher!”

 

Bert’s voice cut through whatever current was running between the two of them, and they both turned their heads to look at him where he stood at the back of the theatre stalls. 

 

“Got a mate of yours in the cab,” he called to them. “Reckons he’s taking you for supper at the Green Mill.”

 

And just like that, all of Jack’s good will vanished, and his expression was steel as he turned back to Phryne. 

 

“Run along Miss Fisher,” he said. “I wouldn’t want you to neglect your social commitments.”

 

For the first time that evening Phryne looked discomposed. Her eyes widened at his words and her voice was slightly breathless as she replied. 

 

“Jack, it’s really not as social as you think.”

 

But Jack barely heard her - he was already walking away. He heard her heels clack as she made her way off the stage towards Bert and her ‘mate’, before he ducked round the curtain and to the side room where they were keeping the body. 

 

Long ago he’d told himself that spending time with Phryne socially was playing with fire, but he’d found himself getting drawn in more and more. More dinners, more nightcaps, more soirees and trips out. And then, a few days ago, a nightcap had gotten so  _ charged _ that there could be no mistaking Phryne’s intent when she’d asked him to dinner for tonight… and instead of running for the hills, he’d said yes. He’d said yes, he’d made sure all his paperwork was complete, he’d arranged to start a little later the next day, he’d  _ bought a new tie _ . 

 

He was a fool. 

 

Anyway, he knew better now, and he had a murder to solve. He had no doubt that Phryne was going to be involved in the case, but that was probably for the best - it would be a good idea to establish a new, more professional working relationship as soon as possible. 

 

The team from the morgue had arrived, and so Jack oversaw the removal of the body and then checked in with his constables to make sure all evidence was being properly catalogued. He gave the cast and theatre crew permission to leave the theatre, and then stood to the side, partially hidden behind the upstage, stage-right tab, observing as people milled around, paying attention to who was talking to whom, who lingered, and who left quickly. 

 

A cloud of French perfume announced Phryne’s arrival this time, and Jack froze in the middle of writing a note. He ruthlessly pushed down the satisfaction that she had thrown over whoever the man in the cab was, knowing full well that it had nothing to do with him - the pull of a murder was just too much for her to ignore. He continued with his note-taking as she sidled up next to him, resolutely ignoring the warmth of her body against his arm. 

 

After a few moments, however, Jack needed to say something to fill the silence. He’d never known Phryne to be so quiet, and it was disconcerting. He tucked his notebook into his coat pocket and turned to face her. 

 

Her eyes were dancing with amusement. It was infuriating. 

 

“All done?” She asked sweetly. 

 

Jack kept his face impassive. “For now,” he said stonily. “Don’t you have an engagement at the Green Mill to be getting to?” 

 

Phryne just smiled slightly before shaking her head. “No,” she said airily, “no, I told Cec and Bert to take father back home. He’ll get into less trouble there.” 

 

Jack opened his mouth, a quip about her loving trouble all ready to go, when his brain caught up to his ears and he closed his mouth again, blinking. “...Father?”

 

Phryne nodded, looking very amused now. “Yes, unexpectedly arrived this evening from England,” she said. Jack stared at her, the full weight of his mistaken assumption bearing down on him. 

 

Phryne’s amusement faded a little. “I was going to explain tomorrow,” she said gently, “but something about the look on your face told me that you’d appreciate that explanation a little sooner.” She reached out and smoothed down his tie, and her fingers lingered on the top of his waistcoat. 

 

Jack’s mind was still racing, and he had to look away from Phryne’s all-too-knowing eyes. “Did you really think I’d just thrown you over for some random man who had shown up unannounced on my doorstep?” 

 

Jack couldn’t look at her. He was feeling foolish again, but a small part of him wanted to say  _ yes.  _ Wanted to ask if she could really blame him for thinking that, as awful as it sounded. 

 

Phryne’s hands came up and gripped the lapels of his jacket, tugging on them slightly before smoothing them down and flattening against his chest. 

 

“Jack…” she said softly, “don’t you know?”

 

Jack finally met her eyes. She was very close. He swallowed. “Know what?” he managed. 

 

Phryne shifted and she was even closer. “How much I want you.” 

 

Jack might be a fool, but he wasn’t fool enough to let this moment pass. He barely needed to move, she was so close, but he dipped his head and caught her lips with his, one hand coming up to cup the back of her head, and the other resting lightly on her hip. He had no thought beyond the need to kiss her, to really kiss her, to show her that he wanted her too and that he wasn’t going to let other people - or the shadows of other people - get in the way of whatever this was anymore. 

 

Phryne, on the other hand, seemed to have thoughts far beyond just kissing him. 

 

She responded immediately to the kiss, pressing her body tight against his and prising his lips open with her own, and before he knew it Jack had his arms full of Phryne as she plundered his mouth, ripping a groan from him that was swallowed by her eager lips. It was frantic, and desperate, and Jack felt the full force of her onslaught. He surrendered, wrapping one arm around the small of her back and delving his hand into her hair, dislodging the confection of feathers on the side of her head and not caring in the slightest. 

 

Jack’s mind was racing, even as he lost himself in the sensation of kissing Phryne - they needed to get out of there, right that moment. He needed to get her somewhere private, preferably somewhere with a horizontal surface. He had driven there with Collins, did she have her car with her? Her house was clearly out, if her father was there - his house was a little further, but empty. He meant to pull back and suggest taking this somewhere else, but instead found his hands wondering lower, skimming over the beaded silk over her backside, allowing himself to be pulled forward by Phryne’s hands fisted in the lapels of his jacket. 

 

Jack’s arm hit something solid, and he realised through a haze that Phryne had backed them up against a wall. His hands came up to press flat against the wooden surface, to stop himself from crushing her - Phryne just clasped her hands firmly over his backside and pulled his hips towards her, pressing his already straining erection into her hip and making him moan against her lips. 

 

Jack broke the kiss; his eyes remained closed as he panted for breath, lost in the sensation of Phryne kissing her way along his jaw. His hips stuttered against hers without any input from his brain. Jack fought to open his eyes, and the sight of Phryne utterly dishevelled from his kisses had him groaning. 

 

He dropped a kiss below her ear. 

 

“We should…”

 

_ Get out of here _ , was what he meant to say, but he was distracted by the pale, perfect skin of Phryne’s neck, and he found himself cupping her jaw with one hand and tracing the line of her neck with his lips instead of finishing his sentence. 

 

Phryne’s head fell back against the wall to give him clearer access to her neck, and she let out a quiet “Um hmm,” of agreement, before pulling slightly away from him. 

 

Jack’s hand trailed down Phryne’s collar as she stepped back, and he stumbled slightly without her to lean his weight against. She’d moved barely three inches away, but it still felt too great a distance. He let his hand drop and stood up straight, telling himself to get a grip on himself; this was what had to happen, they couldn’t very well continue in this manner in the middle of a theatre where anyone could see them. 

 

That thought had Jack looking over his shoulder, but all was quiet around them. They were actually, much to Jack’s relief, fairly well-hidden anyway behind the heavy velvet tabs, so if anyone had walked past while they were… occupied… hopefully they weren’t spotted. 

 

A  _ click _ had Jack looking back at Phryne, and he saw that they’d not been pressing up against a wall, but against a door, which Phryne had pushed open to reveal some kind of janitorial cupboard. She raised an eyebrow at him and then backed into the doorway, pulling a cord to turn on a dull yellow light as she did so. 

 

Jack’s jaw dropped. “You- you can’t be serious,” he said incredulously, even as he stepped forward after her, helpless to do anything but follow.  _ Like a moth to a flame _ , he thought.

 

Phryne pouted, tugging on his lapels to bring him closer again. Jack’s hands went back to Phryne’s hips, and just like that she was pressed up against him, with her hands sliding up behind his neck. She reached up to kiss him, but Jack turned his head slightly, dodging her lips, staring round in disbelief and trying to work out how he’d gone from deciding he was going to be strictly professional with her from now on just five minutes before, to standing in a cupboard with her, trying to talk himself out of throwing all caution to the wind and taking her where she stood. Or would it be allowing her to take him? 

 

Was there a difference? 

 

Phryne pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, sliding her hands underneath the shoulders of his overcoat. “Would’st thou leave me so unsatisfied?” She murmured.

 

Jack huffed a laugh. “I think even Romeo would draw the line at a storage cupboard,” he said as sardonically as he could manage with Phryne kissing her way down his throat. His overcoat was hanging off his elbows at this point, and it seemed only logical to let it drop to the floor. Phryne seemed to take this as a sign to step up her efforts, and soon his top button was undone and his tie loosened, and her lips had moved down to his pulsepoint. Jack shuddered, his arms tightening around Phryne’s waist and pulling her back against him. His will to refuse was rapidly waning. 

 

The glint in Phryne’s eye as she pulled back told Jack that she could sense as much, and he shuddered again just from the look she gave him. She reached over his shoulder and pushed the door shut, and then stepped back into his arms, tilting her head expectantly. Jack had no choice but to kiss her again, and Phryne seemed to melt against him, humming into his mouth as he ran his hands up her sides. His thumb skimmed the underside of her breast, and her hips stuttered against his. Jack groaned and moved his hand higher, swallowing Phryne’s moan. 

 

Phryne bit lightly on his lower lip as she pulled back slightly. “Jack…”

 

Jack’s control was hanging by a thread. “We don’t have any…”

 

“I’ve taken care of it,” Phryne said immediately. Jack’s surprise must have shown on his face, because she smiled and pushed Jack back a step, so that his back was against the door. 

 

“I had very specific plans for you this evening.”

 

Jack’s mind was officially made up. He gripped Phryne by the hips and spun her round so that she was back against the door instead, before lowering his mouth to her ear. 

 

“I do like a lady with a plan.” 

 

Phryne grinned before pulling him down to her again; this time, neither of them held anything back. Phryne’s hands went straight for his waistcoat while Jack moved one hand to cup her breast again, and the other down to her thigh, where he started rucking up the material of her dress. 

 

Phryne lifted her knee to Jack’s hip, and Jack pressed his straining erection into the heat of Phryne’s centre; she rocked against him and the friction had Jack groaning into her mouth. Jack’s hand slid up her thigh under her dress, past the top of her stockings and straight underneath her silk underwear to clasp her behind and hold her against him as he rocked against her once more, slowly and deliberately. 

 

Phryne raked her nails through Jack’s hair, and he gasped against her lips. “God, Phryne-”

 

“Hmmm,” Phryne hummed, moving her hands down to Jack’s belt. “I need you, right now.” 

 

By unspoken agreement, they broke apart to concentrate on their clothing. Jack’s hands were trembling as he fumbled with his belt, completely distracted by the sight of Phryne sliding off her underwear. Her lipstick was gone, her feathery fascinator was hanging on by about three hairs, and one of the shoulder straps of her dress was hanging off. His stomach flipped as he realised that she had gotten so dressed up because she’d been expecting  _ him _ , because she’d had plans for  _ him _ … he was just glad that he’d had the chance to muss her up. 

 

Phryne dropped her underwear to the floor - it was black, Jack noted dimly - and let out a kind of whine when she looked up at Jack, who had just about undone his belt. “ _ Jack _ ,” she moaned, grabbing hold of his belt and hauling him towards her, taking over unbuttoning his trousers herself. 

 

Jack thought about helping, but she seemed fairly adept at the task, and his hands had better things to do. He delved his hands under her dress, seeking out her warmth while Phryne got his fly open and insinuated her hands under the fabric. Jack hissed as Phryne moved her hand into his smalls, and his forehead fell against her shoulder as she wrapped her hand around his shaft. 

 

“Phryne-”

 

“Now Jack,” Phryne murmured in his ear. “No waiting.” 

 

It took a moment of positioning themselves - it had been a  _ very  _ long time since Jack had attempted anything like this - but then Jack had his arm underneath Phryne’s thigh, holding her leg around his torso, pressing into her, closing his eyes against the exquisite feel of her around him. Phryne’s hand clasped the back of his head, gasping into his ear, the noises she made encouraging Jack as he slid home. They paused for a moment, breathing heavily in each other’s ear. Phryne turned her head and captured Jack’s lips again, and he rocked his hips against her as she sucked his tongue into her mouth. 

 

Phryne shifted against him, and Jack moved his hands down, anticipating her next move. Sure enough, Phryne wrapped her arms around his shoulders and jumped slightly to bring up her other leg - Jack caught hold of her and pressed her against the door as she wrapped her legs more securely around his hips. 

 

Jack took a moment to catch him breath before starting to move. Phryne braced her shoulders against the door and met him thrust for thrust, bearing down on him in a way that had Jack gasping against her throat within moments. He lost himself in the feel of her, the sounds she was making in his ear, and it wasn’t long before he could feel the familiar tingling in his spine. He tightened his grip on Phryne, moving in earnest now, and soon enough her cries became a little more high-pitched, her hands clawing at his shoulders a little more desperate. She turned her face into his neck as she moaned out her pleasure, and Jack grit his teeth as she began to clench around him, pulling his climax from him with an almighty groan. 

 

It was several minutes before Jack was fully aware of himself again, and he found that he was slumped against door with his arms wrapped around Phryne, who had found her feet but was also leaning heavily against him, her face buried in his chest. He tightened his hold on her for a moment before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Phryne looked up at him with a small smile, and he dipped his head to give her a chaste kiss on the lips. 

 

This time, the kiss stayed chaste. 

 

“Was that according to plan?” He asked her. 

 

Phryne grinned. “Broadly speaking,” she said. She rose on her tiptoes to kiss him softly again. She pulled away from him, tugging her dress back into place - Jack started to put his clothes to rights as best he could as well.  

 

Phryne stepped in front of him again and straightened his tie. “Why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow night and we can... discuss the particulars of my original plan?” 

 

Jack smirked. “I’ll have to make sure I don’t have any pressing social commitments…”

 

Phryne pursed her lips, though Jack could see she was struggling not to smile. “It’s best you clear your calendar, Jack Robinson, because I am far from done with you yet.” 

  
  



End file.
